R_Bibb_Medical_Modelling_The_Application_of_Adv.pdf

194 Medical modelling
6.11 Rehabilitation applications case study 4: The
appropriate application of computer-aided
design and manufacture techniques in silicone
facial prosthetics
6.11.1 Acknowledgements
The work described in this case study was fi rst reported in the references
below and is reproduced here in part or in full with the permission of the
Council of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of
Maxillofacial Prosthetists & Technologists.
• Eggbeer D, Evans P, Bibb R, 2004, ‘The appropriate application of
computer aided design and manufacture techniques in silicone facial
prosthetics’, Bocking C E, Rennie A E W, Jacobson D M (eds),
Proceedings of the 5 th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping
and Manufacture, 45–52, London, UK, John Wiley and Sons, ISBN:
1860584659.
• Evans P, Eggbeer D, Bibb R, 2004, ‘Orbital prosthesis wax pattern
production using computer aided design and rapid prototyping techniques’,
Journal of Maxillofacial Prosthetics & Technology, 7, 11–15.
6.11.2 Introduction
The design and development of maxillofacial, silicone prostheses is a highly
skilled, traditionally craft-based process that seeks to provide patients with
an aesthetically pleasing, well-fi tted product to camoufl age missing tissue.
The labour intensive nature of the development process means it can take
several days, leading to signifi cant staff costs and considerable patient
inconvenience. Thus, an opportunity exists to develop time saving and more
effi cient methods by exploiting computer-aided design and rapid prototyping
(CAD/RP) technologies commonly used in product design and development.
Such techniques have been used to produce accurate, physical bone
models helping to realise time, cost and accuracy benefi ts in maxillofacial
surgery (1, 2), yet relatively little research has been undertaken in the
application of such technologies in soft tissue cases and they remain underdeveloped
in clinical use.
Recently, surface anatomy has been captured using methods such as
laser, structured white light and computed tomography (CT) scanning, and
the data used to digitally plan, design and manufacture prostheses patterns
and moulds (3, 4, 5, 5, 7, 8). Whilst these techniques make use of some CAD
and RP technologies, more sophisticated prosthesis design has been
restricted due to software limitations in representing and modifying complex